Wellness & Vaccinations

Veterinary care isn’t just for when your companion is sick or injured, but rather it should be viewed as a way to proactively prevent that illness or injury from occurring in the first place.

At Main West Animal Hospital, we believe that routine preventative care provides a solid foundation for a lifetime of good health for your pet. Regular wellness checkups can help prevent illness and assist in the early diagnosis of medical ailments so they can be treated in a timely manner, thereby extending and improving the quality of your pet’s life. We offer comprehensive wellness care for animals of all ages.

Our wellness services have been specifically designed to provide the most precise, effective care available at the time of each visit, and to assist our patients through every stage of life. As your pet ages, his or her health care needs will change. Our wellness care will adapt to address those changes as they occur. For instance, wellness visits for young pets will focus primarily on vaccines and nutrition, while adult animals may need more attention given to health screenings and weight control. Likewise, the care provided to senior pets will shift more toward health management and ways to make the later years as happy and comfortable as possible.

Annual wellness visits include thorough physical exams, through which we are able to both monitor your pet’s current health and manage that health over time. We may recommend various diagnostic tests to further assess your companion’s wellbeing, and we’ll also discuss with you such important matters as vaccinations, parasite prevention and control, nutrition and weight management, behavioural issues and anything else deemed necessary to help keep your pet happy and healthy.

Most importantly, these regular visits allow us get to know you and your pet and give us time to discuss any concerns or questions you may have. We believe that you, as your pet’s caregiver, are also their most important advocate. We want you to be a part of your pet’s health care team, and to actively participate in all of the important decisions that will be made throughout their lifetime. Together we will form a lifelong partnership with the shared goal of helping your pet enjoy as many healthy years as possible.

Customized Vaccination Plans

Vaccinations are a vital part of preventative care and essential to your companion’s livelihood because they prevent a variety of serious, sometimes life threatening diseases. At Main West Animal Hospital, recognize that every animal is different and as such, we design individual vaccination programs for each pet we treat. The goal is to keep your pet as safe as possible without subjecting them to any unnecessary medications.

Our routine vaccinations for dogs are designed to protect against:

Rabies

Distemper

Adeno-2 Virus

Parvovirus

Parainfluenza

Leptospirosis

Bordetella Bronchiseptica (Kennel Cough)

Lyme Disease

Cats are routinely vaccinated to protect against:

Rabies

Distemper

Feline Rhinotracheitis

Calici

Panleukopenia

Feline Leukemia

We will provide you with a detailed schedule that outlines the exact recommended vaccination protocol for your pet, including when each of the recommended vaccines are due to be administered.

Parasite Prevention and Control

Parasites, both external and internal, can pose a serious health threat to your pet. What’s more, many of these tiny pests can also affect humans, so prevention is critical to everyone’s health and safety. As part of our complete wellness care services, we provide comprehensive flea and tick prevention as well as intestinal parasite control and prevention to help protect your pet against roundworms, whipworms, hookworms and heartworm, which can be life threatening. We also provide preventative care by conducting annual tests for early detection and treatment of any potential parasitic infections.

Well Puppy/Kitten Care

While adopting a new puppy or kitten can be infinitely rewarding, it can also be a bit overwhelming at first. At Main West Animal Hospital, we understand the challenges that come with owning younger pets. Because of this, in addition to comprehensive vaccination schedules, we also offer a variety of care and support services for new puppies and kittens, including nutrition plans and behaviour counseling to help you and your new furry family member adjust to living with one another.

Senior Pet Wellness

Once your pet reaches the age of about seven years old, he or she is considered to be a “senior”. The care required for older pets is vastly different from that of younger animals. Main West Animal Hospital offers a wide range of services for pets that have reached their golden years, such as regular preventative care, blood tests and diagnostic services to properly diagnose, treat and manage your mature pet’s health and wellness. We want to help your older companion enjoy the later years as happily and comfortably as possible.

Client Education/Counseling

Wouldn’t it be great if pets came with their own detailed instruction manual? That way, any time you had a question or concern, you could simply turn to that section and get the answers you need. The fact is, animals don’t come with instructions and as such, owning a pet can be challenging at times. At Main West Animal Hospital, we want you to know you are never alone. We are here to support you in any way you need, offering a variety of client education, counseling services and even assistance with things like completing pet insurance paperwork and Petcard forms. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff is always available to offer advice or answer any questions that may arise. We also provide grief counseling to help those who have suffered the loss of a beloved pet.

Pet Identification Services

As a responsible pet owner, you want to do everything within your power to make sure your animal companion stays healthy and safe in your home. What happens if your pet runs away or goes missing? Main West Animal Hospital provides microchip identification services, which involves implanting a tiny device under your pet’s skin. Microchips are about as small as a grain of rice and contain an electronic code which is registered to a database. Most animal hospitals and shelters are equipped with scanners that can be used to identify lost animals so they can be safely returned to their rightful owners.

We also provide tattoo identification, a less invasive procedure through which a unique ID code is permanently and painlessly marked on your animal. Both procedures provide the peace of mind that if your pet ever goes missing, he or she will be found and quickly returned.

An important part of keeping your pet safe in the warmer months is pest prevention—summer is prime-time for infections and infestations caused by parasites and other unsightly critters! Is your … Read More »